Wicked Game
by fluffy2001
Summary: Their arrangement was hardly no strings attached. There was no winning at this game.  Oneshot.  Major ChaseCameron angst, covers from Insensitive through Act Your Age.


**a/n: This is major Chase/Cameron angst, taking place in between Insensitive and Act Your Age. I've been holding onto this one for a while, but after finally getting back to it I think its ready for showing. **

**I'm not a big fan of songfics, so I hate to call this one, but I'm a massive Chris Isaak fan and every time I hear his signature song, Wicked Game, I can't help but think of the whole Chase/Cameron thing. Since it is a very angsty and pained song over love lost, I wanted to deliver a fic that paralleled all that very nicely. You'll have to let me know if it worked.**

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_The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.  
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.  
And I never dreamed that I knew somebody like you._

Did he just commit a foolish act? Chase could have objected, he could have taken offense to her suggestion that he was no better than a ready-to-serve snack. The delivery of her proposal made sense though, and no strings attached was better than nothing at all. As he followed her to the car, he didn't consider how badly this could go. He didn't think about possible consequences to their working relationship. He didn't think about getting hurt. He only thought that they shouldn't be alone on Valentine's Day, even if they were together for physical pleasure.

She chose him for a reason. After all, she came to him before when in desperate need. It didn't matter that her motivation at the time was fueled by a narcotic. It didn't matter that she never respected him. It didn't matter that she often publicly admonished him for no good reason other than she could. He wanted her too much and was a glutton for punishment.

His eyes were lost in the random cracks of frost and bitter cold clinging desperately to the windows in his bedroom, highlighted eerily by the glare of the street lamp. Could that be a chilly warning over what they were getting into? He pushed such thoughts out of his mind as her slender frame curled beside him, calm after their explosive rendezvous of desire and release. She could have left by now, after she had gotten what she came for, but she didn't. He had never seen her so peaceful, so relaxed. Why was she here? He was supposed to be alone today. They both were.

"Am I allowed to talk to you?" Chase asked her.

"You aren't going to share your hopes and dreams, are you?"

"No." He rolled over and fell into a deep sleep, wishing like mad that she would still be there when he woke up.

_No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
With you. With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
_

She couldn't let go of the past, but the present was too lonely. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She didn't want to love again either.

Love didn't matter here. Uncommitted companionship was clearly spelled out. Despite the way she treated him, she liked Chase. He made her curious. He was attractive, her age, great in bed and they both were in the same miserable situation. With Chase, she could have her cake and eat it too. He could never say no to her, and he was getting something in return. Why didn't she think of this sooner?

Her plan was working. She was happier at work on the days after being with him. She smiled a lot more recently. She joyfully looked forward to getting together after their exhausting days of differentials and lab tests. He made her feel good, feel alive, feel like the woman she was supposed to be. It wasn't love though, which made it perfect. Love was a complication, and she couldn't have complication in her life. After all, feelings always led to a broken heart.

"My place," she whispered in his ear. Foreman was there too, but he didn't know what was going on. He was still too mad about the faked brain cancer. They all were.

Chase nodded with reluctance. She felt how unnerved he was from House's recent stunt. He wouldn't admit it, but she suspected it hit too close to home because of what happened with his own father. She wanted to help, to be his distraction for the evening. She wanted to misdirect his pain. She wanted him to forget it all, even if it was only for a few brief moments of passion.

She couldn't push him in her direction either. She was allowed to care, but he wasn't allowed to see it. After all, the game was indifference. It had to be. It was easier for both of them this way.

The way he touched her, the deep desire that swelled in the pit of her stomach when his kissed her, the stir of her spirit awakened when he was inside of her. He made her feel alive, feel like a beautiful woman, feel adored and not cheap. Her feelings were for the enjoyment of the experience and not for him. She had to believe that. He had to believe that too.

_What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way.  
What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you.  
What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way.  
What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you and,_

What game she was playing? His concerns would be forgotten though as he couldn't refuse her idea, even if it was risky. Her pale skin, the soft glow of her virtuous face, her bright smile, her heavenly body, that was all he could see. Sure it was the sleep lab, but she was right, no one was there. One look at her long legs and he forgot there was risk involved. He didn't care if he lost the one thing that mattered most to him, his job, maybe because it wasn't what mattered the most.

The smell of her fragrance, the silky touch of her lips, the strength of her legs as they wrapped around him. Their friction and chemistry ignited the desperation in both of them. The need was sex, right? He didn't know, nor did he care. She wanted him and he wanted to give himself to her. Who cared what the real reason was? The feeling of being wanted was too hard to pass up.

"You're amazing you know."

"Yes, I know." She said smiling.

"I must be something to you." He asked hopefully.

"You're convenient."

His heart sank. Did he want to be convenient? Did he want to be the puppet that had no control of his strings? No, but he couldn't allow himself to be without her either. "I can accept that."

If he could live with the coldness of their arrangement, then why was he dreaming of her? Visions of her smile, her soft hair, her mesmerizing eyes haunted him with every waking moment. Why couldn't he stop wistfully gazing during examinations and procedures, during differentials, during the times when she slept beside him?

They poured through all the symptoms of their latest case. He wasn't listening. His mind drifted to the way her bangs draped delicately on her face while she listed one condition after another.

"Chase agrees with me." Cameron proudly declared.

He nodded, much to Foreman's ire. He didn't know if he agreed or not, but he wasn't about to show a mind of his own considering he wasn't paying attention. He was lucky he hadn't been fired by now. He could only pretend for so long.

_No I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
With you._

She wasn't trying to make House jealous. She was trying to show him she moved on. Of course that was a ridiculous notion when she wouldn't let Chase move forward with her. As long as she was the one moving, she was in charge. For her sake, she had to be emotionally detached. She had to be the one to control the situation. Feelings made her weak, feelings forced her to lose control.

"The janitor closet? What if we get caught?"

"We won't. We just worked thirty-six hours straight. I need some relief. We both do."

Her flirtatious smile and her pleading eyes were enough to seal the deal. He could never say no to her. Plus, she didn't care if they got caught. She wanted to prove that she was a woman with needs. Chase would care, but that wasn't her problem.

She could never tell the difference between love and need. It all felt the same to her. She didn't want love, so she couldn't need him either. She would never allow herself to need. As long as he followed her lead and did what she asked, the needing would be all his. He can't get hurt by this. She wasn't going to be either.

House did catch them, and he didn't care. Why did she then? She didn't need his approval. She had a good thing going and didn't mind sharing it with others. Others that mattered that is.

_The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.  
I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you.  
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you no,  
_

She had a hold on him and he didn't want her to let go.If he wasn't foolish before, he certainly was now.

The photographer knew he had fallen. He knew he had fallen. It wasn't fun anymore. It hurt too much. The thoughts of her were too consuming now. Her warmth against him as they had their trysts, the increasing number of nights they spent together, the endearing conversations they had over dinner and lunch. He didn't want that to end. How long could he look at her and not share his true desires?

He saw the rejection coming. He knew exactly what she would do and it would hit him hard, but somehow that small part of his heart held out hope that he was wrong. Could she be foolish too? Holding onto faint hope wasn't going to work anymore. Every glance into those sunken eyes stabbed him more with a deep, sharp pain. If he couldn't have her completely, he wasn't sure he wanted her at all. He knew he was risking everything, but holding back was no longer possible.

"I want more."

_No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
_

"And now it's over." Her cold proclamation came to remind him that he wasn't allowed to change the rules. He wasn't allowed to feel that way. He wasn't allowed to make her look weak.

She couldn't reveal that when she went home that evening she cried hard until she couldn't feel the pain anymore. The rules meant everything. Without them, she would be vulnerable. Without them, she would be miserable. But here she is, rules broken, being all those anyway. He ruined it all. They had a good thing. She hated him for it, but she missed him too. She could never feel this way again.

"I'll get over it." She told him. She didn't want to fall in love.

_With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
No, I... (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
(This world is only gonna break your heart)  
_

It took him months to figure out the game was control. He let her have full control, but she got careless. She let him in. Her fight is now within, and he needed to push her in the right direction.

"I know. I also know you like flowers." She would not be able to handle Tuesdays.

She sat frozen in her living room, gazing longingly at the brilliant red and orange arrangement sitting in a vase. He bought her flowers. He didn't go off bitterly licking his wounds like she had hoped. He reached out to her. He struck a nerve. "I don't want a relationship with you," came out of her mouth, but "I have deep feelings for you" were in her eyes. She wasn't convincing. He was not going to let their game end.

She should have known this was going to go badly. Wicked Games can be won or lost, but she was blinded by imminent victory. Now she has to fall out of love.

_Nobody loves no one._


End file.
